Where should I give birth?

October 10, 2022

We often forget that all birth used to take place at home until it moved into hospital in the mid-20th century, as the medical-model of birth took over and it became more obstetric-led. But what might surprise you is that hospitals are not the safest place for all births and simply planning a hospital birth gives you an increased likelihood of unnecessary intervention. So what are your options for place of birth and how safe are each of them?

Broadly speaking, there are 3 places where most people give birth:

  1. Hospital
  2. Midwife-led unit (“MLU”) AKA a birth centre
  3. Home

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